1. THE SLOANE INCIDENT

2. This is a perfect illustration for the theme of SOCIETY & CLASS

3. The Sloane Incident
This short episode serves as a further reminder of the hierarchical snobbery of the East Egg set. This little incident helps to reinforce the negative aspects of the East Eggers. They maintain a complex network of social etiquette that is used to exclude and ostracise Gatsby and others belonging to the nouveau riche.

4. The Sloane Incident
Inexplicably, Tom has arrived at Gatsby’s with a dreadful East Egg couple, the Sloanes. Gatsby is understandably unnerved by Tom’s presence, but tries hard to be cordial, inviting the guests to join them for dinner.
Mrs Sloane declines, but offers an enthusiastic invitation to Gatsby and Nick to join them at a prearranged party instead. Nick detects the insincerity of the offer, but Gatsby innocently goes upstairs to get changed. When he leaves, Tom makes disparaging comments about him.

5. The Sloanes
This episode reflects the basic nastiness and hypocrisy of the East Eggers – they believe that Gatsby's vast wealth is no remedy for the inferiority of his family tree.
When he isn’t looking, Gatsby loses things. While Daisy waited for him she got bored and ran off with Tom. Moreover, just as Gatsby cannot read the mixed messages from Mrs Sloane, he cannot read the writing on the wall in his current situation he was never and never will be, wanted in the land of East Egg.

6. The Sloanes
This also highlights another paradox in Gatsby himself: despite the earlier interlude where Gatsby used his skills of perception to reinvent himself for Dan Cody, he is entirely unable to perceive the insincerity in Mrs Sloan’s invitation.
Everyone else, Nick included, is aware that the offer is completely insincere because they belong to this elitist society and are well versed in understanding its codes of conduct. This therefore also helps to illustrate why Gatsby is simply unable to accept the reality that he will never fit in.